A comprehensive Danish study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine delivered robust new evidence confirming childhood vaccines containing aluminium adjuvants do not cause autism spectrum disorder or other serious health conditions, according to Euronews.
The research, examining over one million children born in Denmark between 1997 and 2018, found no increased risk of autism, asthma, autoimmune disorders or 47 other health issues among those receiving aluminium-containing vaccines.
Dr. Niklas Andersson, a vaccine researcher at Denmark’s Statens Serum Institut (SSI) and study co-author, described the findings as “reassuring.”
We have not found anything that indicates that the very small amount of aluminium used in the childhood vaccination programme increases the risk of 50 different health conditions in childhood.
This research directly challenges persistent claims by anti-vaccine activists who frequently cite aluminium used in trace amounts to enhance vaccine effectiveness as evidence of harm. Health authorities blame such misinformation for driving declining vaccination rates across Europe, creating vulnerabilities for preventable diseases including measles and whooping cough.
Since 2010, routine vaccine coverage has decreased for at least one jab in Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the UK.
The discredited vaccine-autism theory originated three decades ago and gained global traction following British doctor Andrew Wakefield’s 1998 article in The Lancet, which falsely suggested a link between the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism. Wakefield’s research was later retracted due to methodological flaws, falsified data, and undeclared conflicts of interest, as he had been funded by lawyers pursuing cases against vaccine manufacturers.
Despite overwhelming scientific refutation, the theory persists partly due to the coincidental timing of MMR vaccination (typically around 12-15 months) and the age when autism symptoms often become apparent.
The enduring myth also thrives amidst genuine scientific uncertainty about autism’s primary causes and rising diagnosis rates since the early 2000s. Researchers attribute increased diagnoses largely to greater awareness and broader diagnostic criteria, while environmental factors like prenatal exposure to air pollution or pesticides remain under investigation.
Meanwhile, US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pledged in April 2025 to identify autism’s causes by September through a massive research project examining food systems, environmental exposures, parenting approaches, and vaccines.
The Danish study stands as a significant reinforcement of scientific consensus amid ongoing misinformation battles with tangible public health consequences.
